Can Esophageal Strictures heal on their own through diet or do they alway require dilation? I have been dealing with a horrible case of GERD for the last few days and after ending up in the ER the doctor says it may be a stricture.

I have made an appointment to see my doctor but it's going to be 5 days. I have lost 11 lbs in just 5 days because even if I eat a small bite of something I bloat so bad that I can't eat anything else. The food feels like it's stuck in my sternum area and takes for ever to make its way down.

This is the most horrible thing I have went through in my whole life. I am so scared and don't know what to expect. I am 50 lbs overweight and have been trying to lose weight but it's hard when you can't breath or eat because of GERD.

I had a stricture a few years ago and it was miserable. It took about a year for my GI to finally take notice of my complaints. Ugh. Anyway, I had a swallow study done, then an endoscopy with a balloon dilation. Fixed me right up.*******************48 yrs old, IBD diagnosis in spring '01. Proctitis, gastritis, ileitis.Currently taking Pentasa (3g/day), Sulfazine (1.5 g/day), Prevacid, folic acid, vit. D (2K iu), flax seed oil (2 tsp/day), mesalamine enema as needed.